Releasing Sin

Chapter 5

Jackie knew she shouldn't go poking around. She was pretty sure the guest house was built separate from the monastery so the monks had some privacy. She thought it was probably nothing. But that didn't stop her from deciding to take a really quick look at whatever was behind there. Quietly Jackie headed for the door and stepped out into the night. Behind her, the cat began wailing. It sat, opened its mouth and howled!

Having grown tired of the animal's antics, Jackie said loudly, "Oh, shut up!"

The cat fell silent and managed to look offended. It tried to follow her but Jackie slammed the door in its furry face. With, more or less, innocent curiosity, she headed towards the strange light.

The grass was damp with dew and the silence was tense. She didn't like it. There were no crickets chirping, or possums rustling in the trees. Only silence stretching for eternity. Actually, she hadn't even heard birds the entire time she'd been here - the cat had been the only break in the silence. She was surprised that David hadn't heard it; he'd implied he had super-monk hearing.

Jackie reached the wall beneath the window and muttered in confusion, "No door..."

She ran her hands over the stone, searching for a hinge or handle. She was illogically certain there was a door of some sort. Maybe it was higher up? She reached up as far as she could and found nothing. She pushed off the ground and jumped. The wall did not yield, but the ground did.

With a low whine the rotted wood beneath her feet suddenly surrendered to Jackie's weight and she fell. She cried out, but was cut short when she landed awkwardly on a set of stairs. She listened carefully for a moment, but she did not hear anyone come running to scold her. Deciding that no one had noticed her break and entry she continued down the stairs.

Narrow and uneven, made of stone and covered in dust, spider webs, things that prosper in dark places. Golden brackets empty of light. She walked slowly, imagining her painful death should she fall. After a few minutes of quiet walking she was far underground.

The young woman began to hear muffled chanting and heavy breathing. She turned the last corner which situated her at a height above an area below. Jackie's eyes widened and she pressed a hand to her mouth. Frozen with fear and disgust. It was a charnel house of horror! Skulls and bones were piled together to fill the room. Grinning and staring – at her! Corpses hung from the walls, bound by chains. More bones had been fitted together to create an altar, overlain with black stone. On the altar David, the charming monk, chanted in a harsh language - grunting and rocking - atop a struggling corpse.

The harsh light of the fires which lit the chamber illuminated his terrible features – sallow skin and sunken cheeks and a rotting nose. His hair was black and matted. Empty eyes. Hating eyes.

Slowly, afraid he would notice her, Jackie backed away. The smell was terrible! She tried not to gag, swallowing hard. She didn't know what was happening, but she knew that she had to get out. Both hands covered her mouth to stop her from screaming. When she felt the stairs at the back of her legs she climbed up them slowly, eyes still on the horrible scene she was escaping. When she had turned the corner and could no longer see David or the bones she turned and ran up the stairs as fast and as silently as she could. But the stairs were no escape. The torches were no longer golden and bright - the hands and arms of skeletons lit her way.

She nearly cried out with relief when she saw the trap door she had fallen through. She pushed herself up and through the hole, snagging her clothes and scratching her skin with the rough wood. Escaped! Success!

"Almost there!" she gasped.

Jackie raced across the wet ground, stumbling twice. She reached the guest house and, gasping for breath, pulled open the door. She threw the rest of her clothing on and grabbed her bag. As she galloped out the door she slung her bag over her shoulders, running with an awkward, uneven gait.